Lynx players did not wear T-shirts supporting the Black Lives Matter movement ahead of Tuesday’s game in San Antonio after four off-duty police officers walked away from security jobs at a Lynx game over the weekend because of the T-shirts.
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After the New York Liberty’s game against the Indiana Fever on Thursday, Liberty veteran Swin Cash announced that players from both teams would refuse to answer questions about basketball. However, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver referred to the warm-up attire as “a risky road for us to go down”, and suggested that players speak their minds outside of the court. After wearing shirts with the hashtag “Black Lives Matter” and “Dallas5” for one game, the Liberty reached what the players said was a compromise, wearing plain black shirts bearing only the Adidas logo. Players have already been given this stage to express themselves - is a shirt manufacturer really enough to draw a line? The memo was sent out after Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty and Dallas Wings players wore shirts in remembrance of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, two men who were killed by police, and the five Dallas police officers who were killed in a sniper attack on July 7.
A precedent was set when the National Basketball Association let players wear socially-aware clothing, and the WNBA broke it. It’s not time to be silent, and it’s not time for successful, insane talented women, 70 percent of whom are African-American, to pay their fines and leave it at that. “My teammates and I will continue to use our platform and raise awareness for the Black Lives Matter movement until the WNBA gives its support as it does for breast cancer awareness, [LGBT] Pride and other subject matters”.
The players union said that they are in the process of preparing to file a grievance over the fines for the players. Obviously each player has an opportunity to be who they want and say what they feel, but at the same time, you are representing the United States of America, and you are part of the Olympic team. The WNBA president, who just weeks earlier complimented players for their willingness to take a stand, has to protect the brand and enforce WNBA rules.
In the other locker room, Tamika Catchings and the Fever did the same thing as the Liberty by not answering any basketball-related questions.
Before the game, Tina Charles accepted the award for Player of the Month in June, but did so with her shirt inside-out.
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“We are proud of WNBA players’ engagement and passionate advocacy for non-violent solutions to hard social issues”, league president Lisa Borders told the Associated Press on Wednesday, “but expect them to comply with the league’s uniform guidelines”. “We made an effort to support them and we were trying to get them to come to the table to have a conversation”. They do have a platform to express their displeasure with the world around them today. And that’s why they should stay the course, providing a roadmap to other athletes on how to truly take a stand. For now they are back to wearing their normal warm ups. “And I don’t even think it was frustration on their behalf”.
